Method of making articles from sheet-rubber



, R. A. FREEMAN. METHOD OF MAKING ARTICLES FROM SHEET RUBBER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 1?, I917- Patented May 25,1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET I TnuenI'oz R. A. FREEMAN- METHOD OF MAKING ARTICLES FROM SHEET RUBBER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 17, 1917.

Patented May 25, 1920 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

E I Till UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RUFUS A. FREEMAN, 0F FLUSI-IING, NEW YQRK.

METHOD OF MAKING ARTICLES FROM SHEET-RUBBER.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RUFUS A. FREEMAN,

a citizenof the United States, residing at Flushing, in the county of Queens and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Making Articles from Sheet-Rubber, of which the following is a specification, refer- ,ence being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates to the manufacture of articles from sheet-rubber and has reference more particularly to the forma tion of such articles as dress shields, rubber caps and the like, in which complementary blanks are united along a portion of their edges. In the case of a dress shield two blanks constituting the flaps of the shield are united along their upper edges, while in the case of a bathing cap two complementary blanks of general semicircular form are united along the curved edges and are left free at their straight edges.

It is a quality of unvulcanized thin sheetrubber that if two sheets be placed together face to face and subjected to the action of a dull cutting or severing edge or die, the material will be severed along said edge, but in the severing action the material of the sheets will unite along the severed edges, and an integral connecting joint will be formed somewhat similar in its characteristics and structure to a welded joint. If however the cutting edge is sharp, the material of the sheets willbe incised without becoming united.

My invention is based on this peculiar action of the material of the sheets in uniting along the severed edges, and the invention compreheuds an improved method of forming articles from separate sheets of un Specification of Letters Patent.

ratus of different form.

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are face views respectively of the two incising dies and the severing die of the apparatus shown in Fig. 4e.

Fig. 8 is a plan View of-portions ofsuperposed strips of sheet rubber showing at the upper part of the figure, the blanks incised along the sides and bottoms of the flaps of a dress shield, and showing at the lower part of the figure the upper edges of the blanks severed from the strips and united together.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the completed dress shield.

Fig. 10 is a plan view of portions of superposed strips of sheet rubber showing coin- Patented May 25, 1920.

Application filed Ma z. 1917. Serial No. 169,335.

an appafor instance for the production of dress v shields, I provide two strips of thin unvulcanized sheet rubber and place them flatly face to face'or superpose them one upon the other, and I give the superposed sheets a suitable support so that they may. be acted on in accordance with my invention. The sheets thus superposed and supported are then acted on by a suitable die provided with a curved sharp cutting edge conforming to the contour of the sides and bottoms of the flaps of the dress shield, and provided also with a comparatively dull severin g edge conforming to the curved upper edges of the two flaps. The die thus formed being forcibly pressed against the superposed sheets. the latter will be incised along the lines of the sharp cutting edge with the result that blanks will be separated from the sheets and forming the two flaps of the dress shield along a line corresponding to-the upper edgesof the flaps and at'the same time causing these edges to unite with each other and effecting an integral connection of the two.

fia s along their upper edges.

n the foregoing operation the lncismg and severing dies act at one time on the sucause the upper edges of the flaps to become united.

In-the formation of bathing caps, the sheets are superposed as in the first described procedure, and subjected to a single die with a dull cutting edge of general semicircular contour and so disposed that the edge will intersect the straight edges of the sheets at one side. The operation of such a die will result in the complete severance of complementary semicircular blanks from the sheets, with their curved edges united and joined and their straight edges disconnected from each other and producing a bathing cap.

In Fig. 1 of the drawings a form of mech- I anism is shown by which my improved method may be carried into effect in the manner first described for the production of dress shields. Referring to this figure it will be seen that there-is provided ahorizontal fixed flat bed 1 preferably of steel, above which is arranged a verticallyreciprocating head 2 provided on its lower face with a sharp incising die or cutting edge 3 of a contour corresponding to the sides and bottoms of the flap of a dress shield, and

provided also with a comparatively dull edge or severing die 4 which corresponds to the upper curved edge of the flaps of the dress shield and which connects at its ends with the ends of the cutting edge 3. The cutting die 3 is beveled on opposite sides to produce a sharp cutting edge as'shown in Fig. 3, while the severing die 4; is straight on one side as at 4", is beveled on the opposite sideas at 4", and has its extreme edge flat or dull as at 4 the purpose of which pe-' culiar formation of the die will presently appear.

5 and 6 indicate rolls of unvulcanized thin sheet rubber wound on rotary spools 5 and 6 mounted one in advance of the other at one side of the reciprocating head 2, the

I sheets from these rolls being'led around guide bars 5" and 6 respectively, arranged adjacent the bed 1; and from these guide bars the sheets pass beneath the die head 2 and the arrows thereon, will serve to draw the sheets of material horizontally in superposed condition over the bed.

With the strips thus superposed and supportedby the bed, when the head 2 is lowered and the dies-thereon pressed with considerable force upon the sheets, the sharp edge of the cutting die 3 will incise the material along the curved line of the cutting.

edge, thereby forming the side and bottom edges of the flaps 9 of the dress shield, which edges will be free and separated from each other. Simultaneously with this action, the blunt severing die 4 will act on the material in a curved line along the upper edges of the flaps and will, owing to; the form of the active edge of the die, sever the incised portions from the sheets and at the same time will compress or compact the severed edges together as shown in- Fig. 3, to the left,

thereby causing these edges to unite with each other in the form of an integral or welded joint. In this action of the die 4 the straight edge 4* will serve to sever the material at that side, while the beveled edge 4" will act as a pressure surface and will mash or impact the severed edges of the blanks together.

The result ofthis operation is the 'production by the single action of the die head, of a complete dress shield consisting of the two usual side flaps united integrally at their upper edges as shown in Fig. 9.

In the operation of the mechanism de scribed, the material is fed by the feed rolls 7 and 8, between each action of the die head, the sheets being advanced when the die head rises, and remaining at rest when the die head descends to perform the incis ing and severing actions. By reason of the unvulcanized state or condition of the rubber sheets, they are liable to permanent deformation or distortion if subjected to undue strain or tension,-and therefore it is necessary that in the feed of the sheets beneath the die, they be entirely free from strain or pull. To provide for this condition the sheets at a point between the supply rolls and the guide bars are given slack and hang loose as shown at 5 and 6 (Fig. 1), A

and suitable means are provided for rotating the rolls of material so as to unwindthe material therefrom. The feed rolls 7 and 8 are timed with relation to the rotation of the rolls 5 and 6 so that the surface speed of the feed rolls and the rolls 5 and 6 will bethe same. In this way the feed rolls will act to draw over the bed, merely loose semicircular blanks, and at the same time.

" a severing die whic subjected to a pull or strain which would be liable to deform the material or draw it out of shape, while at the same time the two sheets are advanced in superposed condi tion over the bed and beneath the die.

In the foregoing description it will be seen that the effect of the operation of the mechanism with the incising die and severing die acting on the superposed sheets, is to incise two sheets and form two blanks, which blanks are severed from the sheets along a line intersecting the incisions and are united along the severing line, thus producing a dress shield.

The mechanism so far described is employed for making dress shields in accordance withmy improved method, but it is applicable as well to the formation of bath in'g caps of the form shown in Fig. 10. The

only change required would be in the form of the die which, instead of consisting of a; sharp cutting edge 3 and a dull severing edge 4, would be made up of a single dull severing edge only, of the form shown in Fig. 12, so as to sever from the two sheets complementary blanks of .the form shown in Fig. 1.0. drawn over the bed as before, and the head being furnished with a severing die of the form'shown in Fig. 12, the material of the sheets will be acted on'by the severing edge which will sever and separate therefrom will unite the curved severed edges of the blanks throughout their extent, as shown in Fig. 11. The die is so related to the edges of the sheets at one side that the die will intersect said edges, with the result that the straight edgesof the blanks will be left free and disconnected, but the curved edges will be connected throughout their extent.

In Figs. 4:, 5, Gand 7 I have represented a diflerent form of apparatus for practising my method. In this case instead of incising both sheets at one operation while the sheets are superposed as in the first instance described, they are incised separately, the two sheets then brought together and superposed one upon the other to cause the incisions to register, and finall they are acted on by h severe the incised portions from the sheets and unites them along the severed edges. I

These operat ons are effected by the employment of three different dies, two incising dies and one severing 'dife, which dies are arranged one in advance of the other so that the :two sheets are acted on separately by the two incising dies respectively .and then both sheets in superposed condition are acted on by the severing die.

Referring to Fig. 4,1 indicates a bed or support over one end of which is arranged a vertically reciprocating die head 11 provided on its lower face with a sharp in- The superposed sheets being cising die 12 of curved form correspondside of this die head is an elevated bed'plate 13 which is supported a slight distance above the bed plate 1 by legs 14. so that it is spaced therefrom for the purpose presently to be described. Arranged over the elevated bed is a second vertically reciprocating die head 15 having on its under face a curved die 16 as shown in Fig. 6, similar in form to the die 12. Also arran ed over the bed 1 is a third reciprocating die head 17 having on its under side a severing die 18 which is of a form as shown in Fig. 7, to form the upper edge of the dress shield. The incising die 12 cooperates with the bed 1 in acting on one sheet 19, and the die 16 cotiperates with the elevated bed plate 13 in acting on another sheet 20, while the die 18 cooperates with the bed 1 in acting on the two sheets superposed upon each other. The sheet 19 is unwound from a supply roll 21 rotatably supported at the side of the die head 11, and is allowed to hang loose where it passes onto the bed 1", the sheet extending from this point beneath the die head 11, beneath the elevated bed plate 13, and finally beneath the die head 17 The other strip 20 is unwound from a supply roll 22 rotatably supported between the die heads 11 and 15',

the feed rolls 7 and 8 before described, and which cooperate with the supply rolls 21 and 22 in drawing the two sheets along beneath the. several dies at the same speed that they are unwound from the supply rolls and free from strain or tension.

In the operation of the mechanism described, the' two sheets of material are unwound by the rotation of the supply rolls 21 and 22 and are advanced by the feed rolls beneath the several die heads, the sheet 19 between the bed plate 1 and the die head 11, the sheet 20 between the elevated bed plate-13' and the die head 15, and the two sheets in superposed condition between the bed 1, and the die head 17. As the several dies descend, a curved incision will be made in sheet 19 by the die 12 and a like incision will be made in sheet 20 by the die 16, and these operations are repeated until by the advance of the two sheets, the incisions made by the two dies will fall in registry with each other as shown in the up per portion of Fig. 8, as the sheets in superposed condition are passed beneath the die head 17. The die head 17 in descending will cause its severing die 18 to act on the superposed sheets and will completely sever the incised portions or blanks from the sheets as shown in the lower portion of Fig. 8, while at the same time the edges .formed by the die 18 will become united and the two blanks of the shield will be joined together as shown in Fig. 9. These operations are repeated, the material being advanced successively between the successive actions of the dies.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. The method of forming articles from sheet rubber which consists in feeding separate sheets of said material, .incisingsaid sheets separately along predetermined lines, superposing said sheets one upon the other to cause the incisions to register, and severing the c incised .portions from the sheets while causing the material of said portions to unite along the severed edges.

2. The method of forming articles from sheet rubber which consists in feeding separate sheets of said material, incising said sheets separately along predetermined and :similar lines, superposing said sheets one uponthe other to cause the incised portions to register with each other, and severing said incised portions from the strips while causing the material of the incised portions to unite along the severed edges.

3. The method of making dress shields from sheet rubber which consists in feeding while causing said upper edges to unite with each other and connect the flaps together.

4. The method of making articles from unvulcanized sheet rubber without the application of heat or cement, which consists in incising two superposed sheets of said material to partially separate portions therefrom, and completingthe separation of the uncised portions from the sheets by severing the same along lines connecting the ends of the incisions while causing the materials of the separated portions in unheated condition to flow into each other and form an integral joint along the severing lines.

.In testimony whereof, I have affixed my RUFUS A. FREEMAN.

signature. 

